The present invention relates generally to conveyorized apparatus and methods for cooking foods and, in particular, to such apparatus and methods adapted for use in a commercial restaurant setting for broiling meats (e.g., hamburgers, beef steaks, chicken fillets, etc.).
Commercial restaurants, particularly those restaurants commonly referred to as “fast food” restaurants such as typically specialize in serving hamburgers, chicken and like sandwiches, are continually striving to reduce operating costs while at the same time increasing food cooking production and efficiency. Toward this end, many such restaurants have begun in recent years to utilize conveyorized cooking apparatus by which cooking times and temperatures can be better regulated than by more traditional manual cooking while at the same time eliminating or at least reducing the need for skilled labor.
Generally, such apparatus have generally been designed for a dedicated function which promotes reliable cooking consistency. For example, typical conventional conveyorized hamburger broiling apparatus are equipped with a single conveyor operating in a dedicated cooking chamber. Such apparatus may provide the capability for adjusting the temperature in the chamber and the traveling speed of the conveyor, whereby adjustments can be made for different food products (hamburgers of varying thicknesses or chicken fillets).